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SUMMER SILAGE IS PROPER INSURANCE ; AGAINST LOSSES DURING DRY WEATHER j y T... J v i J Well-Constructed Silos Being Filled for Winter and Summer. (Prepared by the United States Department Depart-ment of Agriculture.) The time has nearly arrived for filling fill-ing silos has quite arrived for building build-ing additional ones If more space is needed. ' Materials are high. It may be a question ques-tion with the individual fanner whether wheth-er he can afford to build a silo this year. Realizing that possibility, the United Unit-ed States department of agriculture believes that many men may be Inclined In-clined to give too much weight to construction con-struction cost and not enough to silage value, and that therefore the advantages ad-vantages of the silo ought at least to be restated. Advantages of Silos. Here are some of the outstanding points In what the department's dairy specialists think of silos: In general, more cow feed can be grown on an acre of ground in corn than In any other crop. When put in a silo It Is more easily harvested and cared for than any other oth-er crop. Silage operations are absolutely independent in-dependent of weather conditions. Corn for silage can be harvested in the rain. The silo makes possible full utilization utiliza-tion of corn that otherwise would be destroyed or damaged by frost. The silo makes it possible to keep more animals on a given acreage, which means more manure and constantly con-stantly increased soil fertility. Harvesting corn as silage clears the ground early so It can be prepared for other crops. With silage it is not necessary to put so many acres in hay. . In any other form a considerable portion por-tion of the feeding value is lost. Corn cured as fodder loses about '40 per cent of its feeding value. Corn preserved as silage loses only ubout 10 per cent of its feeding value. About 35 per cent of corn fodder is wasted in feeding. Only about 5 per cent of corn silage is wasted in feeding. In other silage crops, weedy growth that would not be eaten at all as hay is nil eaten as silage. Saved in any other form, feeds be- eome, in a measure, less palatable and less nourishing. Silage is all succulent, and all pala: table. Si. age Feeding Pays. ' Statistics show that the percentage of profitable herds is almost three times ns high among herds that are fed on silage as among herds that are not fed silage. While there may be some possible question as to the economy of putting up silos under extreme high prices, there can be no question about the economy of filling to capacity those that are already up. Every man who has a silo should aim not only to put up enough silage to carry Ids herd through the winter but to have some for summer feeding, at least in case of emergency. Even in the best of pasture regions, I cows frequently drop 20 to 50 per cent in production even more sometimes in midsummer when drought cuts the pastures short. When the rains come later, these cattle cat-tle do not return to 100 per cent production. pro-duction. If there is some stuff In the silo when the dry weather comes, the cows can be kept up in production through the drought and carried on at maximum maxi-mum production through the season. Summer silage Is, to the dairy farmer. farm-er. Insurance against loss from (Jrought. If he has not sufficient capacity '.o carry over summer silage, more should be constructed as soon as It is at all feasible. The summer silo, to give the most service possible, should be of smaller diameter than the winter silo, for In order to keep it In perfect condition silage must be fed to a greater depth each day In Hummer than In winter. As compared with soiling crops, summer sum-mer silage saves labor at u time when labor Is urgently needed for other tilings. Dairy farmers are realizing more Hnd more every year that they must liave surr.aer silos.